“They rule New Rome. Unofficially.”
“I’m from New Rome,” I perk up. “I wonder if my father does business with them.” That would explain where I’ve heard of them.
“Um, they’re not exactly legit.” She still doesn’t know my father’s perfumery business is a front and that he does business with the criminal underworld all the time. “I actually—” She falls silent when someone approaches the polished wooden table and sits down across from us.
“Hey.” The newcomer pulls her earbuds out of her ears. Her skin tone is a few shades paler than Honey’s, and she’s dressed severely, in a black skirt and sweater. Under the sweater, her white shirt is buttoned to the collar. Prim as a librarian, except she’s our age and wearing smoky eye makeup that complements her long, glossy black hair.
Honey lights up. “Hey, Raine. Are you working a shift?”
“Just got off.”
“I’ve been wanting to introduce you to my friend. Bella, this is Raine. She’s studying library sciences here.”
We exchange hellos.
“Bella’s not staying on campus either,” Honey says.
I nod to Raine. “My father doesn’t think I can be trusted in the dorms.”
“My stepbrother said the same thing,” Raine rolls her eyes. “He just loves having me under his thumb.”
“Maybe we can convince him to let you do a sleepover sometime,” Honey says to her. “I could use the company.”
“Or I just do it without asking permission. Anything to piss him off.”
“You’re invited too, Bella.” Honey grabs her notes and starts stacking them. “We can do it before the semester starts.”
A sleepover? I haven’t done that since elementary school, and I’ve been longing to have one with grown-up friends. It’ll be just like season six of Vampire Varsity, when they do a seance and summon the King of Hell the night before prom! “I’m in!”
Raine’s phone starts ringing to the tune of Funeral March. She fumbles to silence it, baring her teeth in annoyance. “Got to go. My stepbrother’s wondering where I am.”
“Me too,” Honey says. “I have a meeting with my advisor.”
With a quick goodbye, Raine takes off. Honey and I pack up and follow. I didn’t get a chance to ask Raine about her stepbrother or tell them both about my supervillain studies. I guess I can do it at the sleepover.
But before we part ways, Honey pulls me into an alcove under a brilliant stained glass window. Her face is bathed in blue as she looks around to make sure we’re alone, then whispers, “Listen. I know Fraternitas. Before coming here, I worked at one of the clubs they owned. They even… well, let’s just say I know a lot about them.” She bites her lip. She’s obviously not telling me everything, but this isn’t the place and the time to grill her.
“Why would one of them be following me?”
“I don’t know. I’ll try to get more information for you. In the meantime, be careful. Your stalker got that ring because he killed someone.” She pauses, waiting for her statement to land.
I nod, trying to suppress a smile. The fact that Blondie is a murderer only makes him more intriguing. I bet I know how he killed, too. I bet he put that spiderweb around his victim’s throat and squeezed.
Honey looks worried again, so I pretend to take her warning seriously. “Got it.”
“They have a code they follow. I’ve never heard of them harming an innocent. But they don’t rule the city because they’re nice guys. They’re ruthless when they destroy their enemies. If one is stalking you, you might be in serious trouble. And if your stalker is who I think he is, you don’t want to mess with him.”
I’m still pondering Honey’s words as I walk home.
I know my stalker is dangerous. My father is always worried his line of work will bleed into our personal lives. My mother died because of it. After that, Papa tried to shut me away from the world. He always wants to play it safe, but where’s the fun in that?
I’m more fascinated by what Blondie might think of me than what he might do to me. I could call up my dad and ask him about Fraternitas, but I don’t want him to freak out and pull me from school. I’ll find another way to learn more about him. Contain the threat. Or tempt him to do something to me.
YOLO!
I like having a stalker. Especially one so pretty. I walk across campus, feeling a prickle on the back of my neck that tells me someone’s watching. It gives me a little thrill.
Pane P’s is closed, so I swing through a corner store and grab some donuts for dinner. I’ve got a long, lonely night of rewatching Vampire Varsity and reliving every moment of my brunch with Blondie.
